The daggers are out this time as Russell Simmons goes after Kimora Lee, his ex, and Tim Leissner, her present husband.
In his complaint, Russell Simmons has accused Lee of conspiracy. Lee, 46 has been accused of a fake transfer of close to 4M of his shares in Celsius, the energy drink major. The amount was used to bail out Leissner from the money-laundering suit back in 2018.
An Amicable Settlement Between Russell Simmons And Lee Fails
Russell Simmons had tried at resolving the issue without going to court. He had written to Lee for her help to get back his half of the Celsius shares.
He has written that he has always done things in the best interest of the family and always gave in to her wishes. He also further said that he has given her more than he was legally obliged to. He says that it pains him that she has refused his repeated requests for giving back his rightful share of the stocks in Celsius. They are in the possession of the government, as they were used to get her present husband’s bail.
Lee’s Husband Accused Of Money Laundering And Theft
Russell Simmons also referred in his letter to Leissner’s case. He was accused of stealing billions from 1MBD, the Malaysian fund in 2018. Leissner gave up around $44M to avoid being jailed. The letter from Russell Simmons said that Lee had engaged in this act of fraud to bail out Leissner and compensate victims of his fraud. He alleged that the fraud was committed to achieving an unlawful and nefarious goal.
He further alleged that Leissner and Lee were complicit in aiding and abetting one another and the fraud was committed jointly by them. Russell Simmons said that he had learned of the transaction only a year later in 2019.
Simmons also accused his ex-wife of reneging on their confidential agreement. He has demanded the return of close to 4 million shares in Celsius plus the total legal fees. Russell Simmons married Lee in 1998 and though they split in 2006, they only divorced in 2009. They have two daughters, Ming, aged 21, and Aoki, aged 18. They had even been cordial business partners since their separation. Lee also has sons Gary, aged 11, and Wolfe, aged 6 with Leissner, and son Kenzo, aged 11 with actor Djimon Hounsou.
